Heart Valve Procedures

Transcatheter Heart Valve Program

People are referred to the Transcatheter Heart Valve (THV) Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital because they have one or more heart valves that do not work properly.

What to bring

All your medications with you in a bag so we can see exactly what you’re taking.

Your medication list, if you have one

Your BC Care Card

Summary of your medical history, if you have one

A list of who your doctors are

A list of any questions you may have

Disease Information

Heart valves can become tight or leaky over time, and cause people to feel short of breath, chest pain, very tired or faint. For some people, the risks of open heart surgery are too high. “Transcatheter” means treating a diseased valve through a small plastic tube inserted in the leg or chest rather than with open heart surgery. The THV Clinic aims to decide if this type of procedure (instead of open-heart surgery) might be an option for your treatment.

Patient Information

When you are referred to the THV Clinic, we work with you and your doctors to decide if a transcatheter heart valve procedure is a safe and useful option for you. We will contact you to schedule a clinic visit and some tests. These are described in the booklet:

During this visit, you and your family will have a chance to hear about your treatment options and ask questions.

Once your clinic visit and tests are done, a group of doctors and nurses will meet to discuss the best options for your treatment. Our clinic nurse will contact you with the team’s recommendation.

If a THV procedure is right for you, you will have your procedure at St. Paul’s Hospital or Vancouver General Hospital. The information you need to know to prepare for the procedure and how to manage afterwards is described in the booklet:

Most patients stay in hospital for one to four days after the procedure and may need some help in the first week of recovery.

Most patients must come to the hospital two or three times to have all the tests needed for the THV Heart Team to make a recommendation for your treatment. Your THV Clinic visit will likely have these appointments: